Wow are we making history! We are so happy to be on this adventure with such supportive families! We are off to a great start with elearning and are planning ways to enhance the experience every day! The School CIty of Hobart has posted a schedule for elearning with days spanning 9:00AM-3:00PM. This helps all of us stay efficient with our time and allows teachers planning time (when responses are known not to always be immediate) and instructional time of 4 hours per day. All of our teachers have a classroom aide and additional support staff in our building who are striving to meet your needs and support any way we can during this process. Fridays are days that do not have new learning assignments to give students time to complete anything that they may need to complete. We are here to help!

The School City of Hobart has put together a variety of options for our students that will help them create a positive experience during elearning. We have broken down each element with examples for what it might like for your child. Click on the link to familiarize yourself with the options. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach our children the value of positive mindset and how it can enrich their world.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics. The ELC proudly implements a curriculum that is enriched with STEM learning. STEM lessons encourage students to collaborate with each other and create an innovative plan for a project, then create, negotiate and alter that design to improve. These are the skills that we begin developing and honing at the ELC to create innovative thinkers of our students. These are the characteristics that are most employable in our world today and teach our students to work together and design new ideas and solutions. The ELC is a state certified STEM school. Students will be working on STEM projects this month in classrooms and practicing articulating their ideas into discussions and drawings then executing them into a creation.

You can find out more about STEM and our school district and the Indiana Department of Education's guidelines here...

.http://www.doe.in.gov/ccr/indiana-stem-education-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics

This Spring the ELC students embarked on an adventure together as a school through our One School, One Book Program. We chose "Frog and Toad Are Friends" and could not have been more pleased with it's engaging stories for our students! We kicked off our adventure with and assembly that invited us all on a Toadally Top Secret Adventure. Students spent the week gathered at 2 pm every day in all classrooms listening to that day's story. Each day we provided different activities that emulated events in the story to help students connect to the story and enhancing their comprehension. We ended the week watching the movie and enjoying popcorn provided by our PTO. It was a great way to end our last day of school together in March!

Farmer Brown brought Kindergarten classrooms eggs to study in March. Students learned about the process needed to bring the eggs to hatch through temperature and rotation. They recorded daily observations in their "Chick Journals." The chicks were taken home by teachers or staff on Friday, March 13th so that students could follow along from home the hatching process. It was the hot story to follow during that first week of our elearning!

The ELC will continue to award students who can read all of their kindergarten sight words their snazzy tshirt!!! Keep working on those words and remember to read with your child every day to enrich your budding reader!

Brickie Kidz Preschool hosted Donuts with Dad March 14th. This is a fun date with Dad in the classroom where students enjoyed crafts and activities with their dads. Classrooms offered up donuts and fruit and magnificent projects students made special for their dads!

A very big shout out to those students at the ELC who participated in this year's Readathon! Readathon supports the Lake County Public Library with a portion of the proceeds supporting our school library. Students who participated were awarded prizes from the ELC and wll receive additional prizes from the Lake County Public Library in May.

This is a new experience for all of us, but it is all about perspective! We are doing our best to continue the education of our students, supply lunches to those in need, and inform you as much as we can on how you can help control this pandemic. You can visit our website for updated information on COVID-19 at www.hobart.k12.in.us/coronavirus. Please be aware of the stay order from the Governor and social distancing guidelines. Together we WILL get through this. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Stay Home.

Coronavirus Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. Let’s stay vigilant with taking everyday precautions including: Avoid close contact with people who are sick Take everyday preventive actions ● Clean your hands often ● Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place. ● If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. ● To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something. ● Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places. ● Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc. ● Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones) ● Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick. Have ?????? Contact Your School Nurse  ELC- menglish@hobart.k12.in.us  LIBERTY-vshinkle@hobart.k12.in.us  JOAN MARTIN- awilson@hobart.k12.in.us  RIDGE VIEW- scallahan@hobart.k12.in.us  HMS- jnoel@hobart.k12.in.us  HHS- jcawthon@hobart.k12.in.us For more information about COVID-19 go to: https://www.in.gov/isdh/28470.htm or www.cdc.gov/covid-19. If you have questions or concerns regarding the Coronavirus, please contact your primary healthcare provider or the Lake County Board of Health at (219) 755-3655. The Indiana State Department of Health can be contacted at (317) 233-7125 or afterhours at (317) 233-1325. While our buildings are closed, the Brickie Clinic and Immediate Care will remain open. Vaccinations- NEW 2020-2021 IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS: Indiana State Department of Health Immunization requirements for the 2020-2021 school year Two (2) Hepatitis A vaccinations are now required for ALL grade levels for the upcoming school year. The Hepatitis A immunization consists of two (2) doses with a minimum interval of 6 calendar months between the first and second dose. Immunization doses given less than 6 months apart are considered invalid, and will require a third dose. The first Hepatitis A dose should be given in the month of February 2020 to ensure that the second dose can be provided in the month of August. Please provide the school nurse with a copy of your student’s updated shot record after receiving any immunizations. Updated immunization information must be submitted during registration for the 2020-2021 school year. If you have any questions regarding immunizations, please feel free to contact your student’s school nurse. If you have any questions, please email your school nurse or visit our school web page at http://www.hobart.k12.in.us for more information on student health, school forms, and other helpful links.

Email: sgutierrez@hobart.k12.in.us
Website: www.hobart.k12.in.us/elc
Location: 400 North Wilson Street, Hobart, IN, USA
Phone: 219-942-7263
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Early-Learning-Center-253608198727771/?ref=bookmarks